ABOUT

Erik Rokisky, founder of Rokisky Fitness, began his personal training career at the early age of nineteen. Since then he has gained numerous certifications and testimonials. The most prominent certification being his bachelor’s degree from the college of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University.

At a young age he was immersed into the field of sports and fell in love with football. His parents pushed him to be his very best, from running on the beach in the coldest of months to pushing wheelbarrows of concrete up his steep driveway. This commitment to training at a young age led to his career in health and fitness.

The Rokisky Fitness aim is to change the world for the better by educating individuals through providing access to monthly blogs and the Rokisky Fitness newsletter.

His methods for training and education are based on countless hours of research detailing nutrition, strength conditioning, gymnastics, and kettlebells. Erik’s passion is in helping others obtain the realization they have the ability to grow stronger physically and mentally with commitment, hard work, and education.

Welcome To RokiskyFitness

It all started when...

I was a teenager running on the beach with my Dad. I was never the fastest nor the tallest kid. And to top it off, I was insecure and afraid to fail in front of others. Nevertheless, my Dad never gave up hope and turned me into an athlete through his training methods. After an eight to ten hour workday, he would drive me over the bridge to train at the Seaside Heights beach in New Jersey. We would train during the winter months to get me ready for the upcoming football season. I can still remember the feeling of cold air traveling down my lungs and the struggle of running in the sand. My father, Doug Rokisky, was ahead of his time when it came to training the body. I consider him to be a creative genius and owe most of my success in the health and fitness field to his teachings. I never became a collegiate athlete, but at age 18, I could bench 360 lbs and run a 4.8 forty yard dash at my stocky frame of 5"7 weighing 195 lbs. However, these numbers could have been even better, but my ego got in the way. I truly believe that if I did exactly as my Dad said that I would have been a collegiate athlete. Looking back with my current knowledge, if I would have listened and trained as hard as he wanted me to, my abilities were limitless.

My father was a genius, too smart for his own good and it affected his ability to teach. You see, being a teacher is one of the hardest jobs in the world. In order to be a great teacher, you must be able to see it from the student's perspective. You must have patience and be able to motivate. Unfortunately, due to my genetic makeup (worrier gene), I don't do well with multiple steps. I do best with small steps and constantly need positive reinforcement. At the time of my training, my Dad didn't know this and his teaching style drove me away. But luckily, the work ethic he taught me never left. And that is why I named my company Rokiskyfitness, it is to pay tribute to my family.

It would be unfair to give my Dad all the credit though. Both my brothers played a crucial role in my upbringing. My oldest brother (Sean) brought me under his wing while I was in the 8th grade and taught me everything he knew about weight lifting. My other brother (Justin) has constantly been of service to my growth as an individual. He has always been there to lend advice and to keep my ego in check. And I can't thank him enough for buying my ticket to fly me to Thailand where I learned Muay Thai. I believe everyone should go on their own quest at some point in their life. Last but not least, I owe everything to my mother. From a young age she taught me the importance of treating people with respect. And of course she cooked, clean, drove me to all my sporting events and did all the small things that no one notices. As a child I didn't understand how much my family sacrificed for me, but now I do. I am very grateful for the oppturunity that my family has given me. Overall, the point of my flaws as a child can be summed up with the following quote from ancient philosophy:

Ultimately, the goal of Rokiskyfitness is to help you make physically and mentally stronger. The best ways to do this is through training, be it physical or mental. The same principles that apply to becoming stronger and faster apply to overcoming a fear. The concept is easier said than done. To become successful you must practice. That is it. There is no way of hacking your way to the top. You must put in the hours and practice every single day. If you want to become a better speaker, then you must go and speak. When you want to become a musician you play your instrument. And of course, if you want to become a better runner then you must run. My goal is to teach you methods and actions through my experiences. I am not saying I have all the answers, but I hope that my experiences help you figure out your own answers.

He explained that training was like sweeping the floor. Just because we’ve done it once, doesn’t mean the floor is clean forever. Every day the dust comes back. Every day we must sweep.

— Ryan Holiday, Ego Is The Enemy

Above all, I want you to realize that you have the potential to be great at anything. You have the capability to be successful. It is never too late to start, but it is important to be realistic and understand that the road to success is filled with its ups and downs. The road to success is a roller coaster filled with failures along the way. You can let these failures destroy your dreams or you can use them to propel you forward. You must realize that the only way to maintain success is to focus on the process and not the results. At times you are going to be uncomfortable and unsure of yourself, but do not let your ego or the fear of failing persuade you otherwise. You must learn to master your ego and not let it consume you. You must be honest with yourself and never forget all the hard work that led to your success. In order to achieve any of this you must work hard and practice deep focus. You must be able to work for hours on end without distractions. You must separate yourself from the rest and do what makes you happy in the long term, not the short term. My goal as a coach and a writer is to teach you that the obstacle is the way. To embrace the uncomfortable with guts over fear.